Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey on White Collar David Giesbrecht/USA Network
White Collar fans rejoice — brand new episodes are seemingly on the way soon.
“We’re gonna reboot. I’m writing the script,” creator Jeff Eastin said during Variety’s TV Fest panel on Thursday, June 6, where he was accompanied by series stars Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay and Tiffany Thiessen.
All three cast members confirmed they were also involved in the new installment, with Bomer, 46, saying, “I’m in!” DeKay, 60, and Thiessen, 50, then also both raised their hands in agreement.
“It’s a fantastic script and it answers all the questions that one would have if you watch the show,” DeKay said,. “And it would introduce the show to those who haven’t seen it as well. Both edges of the sword are honed.”
White Collar has been off the air for a decade, but the cast has hinted at bringing it back. The police procedural drama, which ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2014, followed Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a highly intelligent con artist who starts working as FBI Special Agent Peter Burke’s (Tim DeKay) criminal […]
Dekay noted that the new episodes will also use “sensitivity” and “heart’ to honor the late Willie Garson, who appeared on all six seasons of the show as Bomer’s partner in crime, Mozzie. The actor died in September 2021 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“I told Jeff after I finished [the script], I literally was so excited, but at the same time had tears in my eyes — for good reason,” Dekay continued. “You captured the suspense, the thrill, the characters and the love in that reboot.”
While Eastin kept any plot details close to his chest, he did point out that the original show was left open-ended. He explained that while revisiting the series initially felt unlikely, the resurgence of procedurals on Netflix in the past year changed the game.
“If you get to the finale, with Neal [Bomer] walking in Paris, that was always the setup,” he explained. “I always left it open, and as the years passed, it seemed more like a distant hope. But say thank you to ‘Suits’ for starting this streaming trend. They were doing great, and got people watching White Collar now on Netflix. That’s doing really, really good. Off of that, it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s do another one.’”
White Collar originally aired on USA Network, which is owned by NBCUniversal. However, because Fox Television Studios handled production, Disney now owns the IP. In April, White Collar began streaming on Netflix. Where the reboot will land remains to be seen, but DeKay shared that “the hope is that it will be a particular streamer.”
White Collar ran from 2009 to 2014 and starred Bomer as white-collar criminal Neal Caffrey, who ultimately forged an agreement with the FBI to help use his knowledge to catch similar offenders. DeKay played FBI agent Peter Burke, who begrudgingly worked alongside Neal to solve crimes. Theissen appeared as Peter’s wife, Elizabeth Burke.
Whispers of a potential return for the show have been happening for years. In 2019, Eastin responded via X when a fan asked about a revival, sharing that he “randomly ran into” Dekay and the duo “talked about it,” adding, “There’s definitely a chance.”
The following year, Eastin revealed that he and Bomer had a “plan” to bring the show back. “As Mozzie might say, ‘To quote Steve Harvey, the dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.’ It’s time to hustle,” he cryptically wrote via X at the time.
Bomer, for his part, spoke to TVLine about the possibility about revisiting the acclaimed series in February 2020, confessing that he would jump back into Neal’s shoes “in a heartbeat.”
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“I have to tell you, hardly a day goes by where I’m not stopped by somebody who tells me how much the show meant to them and how much they enjoyed it or that they watched it with their family or there’s a certain family member they connected with over that show, which means the world to me,” he told the outlet.
Calling his time on the show an “incredible experience,” Bomer noted that he and the cast remained in touch.
“We try to get together once a year, and I think we’d all love to continue that story in some way,” he shared. “Sometimes, people get mad at me in public and say, ‘Why’d you…?!’ and they think that I have some kind of creative control over the whole situation, which I just don’t.”